Office of the Director

u.s. Department of Homeland Security

500 12th Street, SW Washington, D.C. 20536

and Customs Enforcement

OE( 15 2011
Mr. Bill Montgomery County Attorney Maricopa County 301 WestJefferson Street Phoenix, AZ 85003 Dear Mr. Montgomery:

u.s. Immigration

This morning, I received a copy of the Department of Justice's findings regarding constitutional violations in the policing and detention practices of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office (MCSO). In light of the findings, I am immediately taking several significant actions until MCSO addresses the findings with the Department of Justice and corrects the violations. These actions are as follows- . withdrawing any immigration detainees from facilities operated by MCSO; 'terminating MCSO's 287(g) program; restricting MCSO's access to Secure Communities technology; and ceasing u.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) responses to MCSO traffic stops, civil infractions, or other minor offenses.

These steps will ensure that ICE detainees are not subject to the violations detailed in the Department of Justice's report and that ICE's immigration enforcement programs are not inadvertently a part of constitutional abuses-whether they occur in the jails or through policing programs. To continue immigration enforcement in a fair manner that continues to protect public safety, border security, and the integrity of the immigration system, ICE will reassign officers to Maricopa County to focus on our existing immigration enforcement priorities, namely criminal aliens, recent border crossers, repeat and egregious immigration law violators, and employers who knowingly hire illegal labor. If you have any questions, please contact Gary Mead, Executive Associate Director of ICE's Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, at (202) 732-3100.

Director
www.ice.gov